House of Flying Daggers- Review article notes
https://newrepublic.com/article/70443/redemption-film
‘House of Flying Daggers is also about imperial rule and rebellion, by its conclusion politics have faded far into the background.’
‘the protagonists have left behind their loyalties to either side, instead fighting and dying for more intimate concerns: for love, for jealousy, for redemption or release.’
‘As great a relief as it is after the ugly moral of Hero, the tragic-romantic conclusion of House of Flying Daggers still falls flat.’
‘it may simply be an issue of awkward cultural translation, it nonetheless makes it hard to empathize too deeply with the characters’ loves and losses.’
‘the movie blurs the line between dance and combat.’
‘The soldiers’ javelins and rebels’ boomerang-like daggers may be digitized, but the combatants themselves are not. Even Mei’s remarkable sleeve-wielded sword is made possible with wires rather than pixels.’
‘the true stars are the sets, costumes, and scenery, a breathtaking banquet of colors and textures filmed with rapturous affection by cinematographer Xiaoding Zhao.’
‘the Asianized Robin Hood attire of the rebels–all are assembled with a care that suggests the authentic and the mythic in equal measure.’
‘The autumn foliage of the woods bursts with colors so vivid’
‘reminiscent of the swirling yellow leaves Zhang turned blood red at the end of a fight sequence in Hero.’
(Referring to Tang Dynasty) ‘Culture and civilization flourished – literature and poetry painting, commerce, as well as science and innovation. Bordellos of the time were places of beauty and artistic expression. The head mistresses of bordellos had wealth and power. Courtesans were intelligent, artful singers and poets who entertained guests with their skills and conversation.’
‘The courtesans were known to dominate conversation with elite men. The ladies were not afraid to openly castigate or criticize prominent male guests who talked too much or whose rude behavior had in some way ruined dinner for everyone. Men enjoyed the presence of assertive, active women.’
‘We can apply Marxist class struggle theory and say that the rebellion was a product of tension created by the increasing suppression of the poor by the rich.’
https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/house-of-flying-daggers-2-1200533324/
‘Mei’s honor is saved by Leo, who shows up as if on cue and berates his colleague for ungentlemanly behavior.’
‘This is classic martial arts stuff, as protagonists size up each other at an early stage, but Zhang stages the confrontation in a much more aestheticized way — through music, dance, color and design — than is usual.’
‘Zhnag- “not an ordinary martial arts film, but a love story inserted into an action movie.”’
‘basic hardness and rigor that marks it as northern rather than southern Chinese in flavor, however much the colorful lensing by Zhao Xiaoding’
‘Dialogue between the characters is also functional rather than inspired.’
‘The action set pieces really are the core of “Daggers,” and these hit the mark with eye-popping accuracy and sonic elan.’
‘Studio interiors, in Beijing, are smaller in scale than in “Hero,” with only one standout, the ornately colored, circular Peony Pavilion set.’
Emma Coe Film Studies 